Jon's first thought was that this ring could replace a wand, allowing him to cast spells without a wand under any circumstances.
While thinking in his mind, he also asked this question.
"Can it help me get rid of my wand?"
"No, no, no, Jon, actually when you have such thoughts, you are already wrong."
Slughorn said, shaking his head.
"The wand has never been a restriction for wizards, but a means to strengthen wizards. Moreover, there are still wizards in many areas of the world who do not use wands as a means of casting spells. For example, some tribal wizards in Africa have always adhered to the tradition It’s gesture casting. Although such skills are complex, they are not difficult to learn, but why don’t European wizards learn from them? In fact, this question is like why we must use a knife and fork when we can clearly eat with our hands. .”
"It's not that wizards can't do it, but using a wand to cast spells is what we think is the most effective, labor-saving, and also the most reasonable way to cast spells. It's not like no one has ever wanted to use other magic weapons to replace wands, such as Rings, crystal balls, books, etc., but the reason why these things are not popular is because what we are using is the best."
Jon looked at the ring on his hand, thinking on his face.
"Then Professor, you said it would allow me to learn a way of casting spells that no one else can learn?"
"According to your understanding, what is the magic used by wizards?" Slughorn looked at Jon with a smile.
Of course, Jon had thought about this issue in private. He didn't hide it and spoke frankly about his understanding of magic.
"Wizards with magical powers can use their will to change the world."
"It's very simple but also very straightforward to understand."
Slughorn sat up straight, his attitude visibly becoming serious.
"Thinking like this means that you have understood the two core things of magic, Jon. Magic and will, this is the basis of why a wizard is a wizard. Only will without magic, that is Muggle, only with magic but no will. That thing is called an Obscurus. It has both magic power and will, but there is no way to connect the two together. It is called a Squib in the magic world."
"All spellcasting, whether it is transformation, spells, potions or prophecies, the necessary factors to complete these are magic power and will. Others, whether they are wands, spells or wand gestures, are all auxiliaries for spellcasting. They are They can help wizards complete magic better and more conveniently, but their absence does not mean that wizards have lost their ability to cast spells."
What Slughorn is saying now is exactly what Jon has thought of before, but these are obviously just foreshadowing, and the focus is on what he says later.
"The will can only rely on the wizard himself. Wizards with strong will are generally considered to be geniuses with excellent talents in learning magic. The strength of magic power can increase with age, and with the assistance of wands and spells, magic power has always been They are the objects of study by most wizards from ancient times to the present. But as you just said, magic is actually that wizards with magic power can use their own will to change the world. The key point is that in addition to magic power and will, there is also What?"
Jon was stunned at first, but soon a flash of inspiration flashed in his head!
"You mean, there's still a change?"
Slughorn looked very excited when he heard Jon's answer.
"I'm glad to hear the correct answer from you, Jon. Yes, even if Filius hasn't taught you a spell yet, you should also see Miranda Gorshak's "Standard Spells" , the sentence written in "Elementary" - "A spell adds specific attributes to an object or creature, while a transfiguration spell turns it into something completely different." She left the original meaning of this sentence in the book It is to allow beginners of magic to clearly distinguish the difference between spells and transformations, but it also explains the effectiveness of magic itself."
"Change, this is the ultimate goal of all magic. Levitation spells can make objects lighter, transfiguration spells can turn matches into needles, and potions can turn ordinary porcupine quills and dried nettles into boils-curing ones. Potions. These are changes, and this is how magic affects the world."
"But such changes have a unified pattern. Jon, maybe you have been exposed to magic for too short a time and haven't discovered this pattern yet - the wizard himself uses magic, but the only thing magic can change is the world. Only the wizard himself cannot be changed."
Slughorn was very serious when he said these words. He stared into Jon's eyes unblinkingly, as if he was saying the only truth in the world.
Jon was stunned. He carefully recalled all the magic he knew, and indeed none of them had an effect on the wizard himself...
etc!
He took a deep breath, considered his words and spoke.
"I don't mean to refute you, Professor, it's just that after I came to Hogwarts, I would stay in the library whenever I had free time, and in one of the books about transfiguration, I learned something about it. An advanced human transformation magic called 'Animagus'. Isn't this the change that wizards use magic to change themselves?"
After hearing Jon raise a counterexample, Slughorn not only showed no displeasure on his face, but actually looked happier.
"I'm really happy Jon. I was actually hesitant to tell you this before I really made the decision, but now it seems that you are very good! Even if the magic of Animagus is like that of Ron and Neville, Two children who have grown up in a wizarding family may not have heard of it, but you have only been exposed to magic for less than two weeks, and you have already learned about it!"
"The example you gave is correct. The high-end transformation technique of Animagus is indeed an attempt by ancient wizards to use magic to change themselves, but in fact it is the product of a failed attempt."
"Failed?" Jon opened his eyes wide.
"Yes, it was a failure." Slughorn emphasized again, "Since you saw the Animagus from that book on transfiguration, you must also know the biggest limitation of this transfiguration magic. ——”
Jon thought, and he heard what Slughorn was trying to say.
"Cannot transform into any magical magical animal."
"Yes! The changes brought by Animagus to wizards are only species changes, but in essence, what is the fundamental reason why magic changes the outside world? Changes in magic power! But it can't do it, so it It’s just a failed transformation! At this point, maybe the existence of werewolves is much more successful than it, but you should also be able to imagine, after werewolves transformed, what did they lose? "
"Without their...will, they will no longer be able to mobilize their magic power and use magic after they transform!"
The look Slughorn looked at Jon now could be called extremely satisfied.
"That's very well said! Even with the presence of wolfsbane potion, which allows werewolves to suppress their animal nature during the full moon, they still cannot use any magic. Their will and magic are isolated, although this is better than Animag. Si has been slightly more successful, but it is still not perfect, and just because of this imperfection, its performance is not even as good as Animagus in terms of effectiveness."
At this time, Jon had basically understood what Slughorn wanted to say.
He looked down at the ring in his hand, his eyes dazed.
"So, this ring..."
The excitement on Slughorn's face subsided, and he became extremely serious.
"It can help you let your magic change yourself. It's not a superficial change, just a change in form, but the most essential change in magic!"
